Introduction to Current Issues in Social Policy: Healthcare, Housing, Welfare, and Social Security

Social issues are long-standing political battlegrounds. Social issues galvanize voters, wedge political opponents, and decide elections, but the fundamental questions of social policy underlie election-time social policy maneuvering. Conservatives traditionally favor individual and private organization remedies for social problems while liberals often advocate for increased and active involvement of the federal government to solve the same problems. The two positions are not mutually exclusive. Few conservatives would argue for the federal government to abandon all social programs, just as few liberals would fail to recognize the necessity and benefit of individual volunteerism and private aid organizations. Current debates over social policy thus still try to answer fundamental questions about what social programs are necessary and beneficial, how best to structure social programs, and who should benefit most from social programs.

Occasionally, the controversy is over whether a specific social problem exists at all, not just how to solve that problem. Most people agree that homelessness, hunger, poverty, unemployment, educational inequality, discrimination, and access to adequate healthcare are all current social concerns in the Untied States. However, some people see morals-related issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage and adoption rights as key aspects of U.S. social policy. Reasonable minds disagree on whether these represent social ills or are social policy concerns. The melding of political, religious, and moral agendas into social policy is not a new trend. The temperance and abolition movements highlighted in earlier chapters were fueled by religious organizations. However, the editors have chosen to focus their discussion of current social policy issues on the paramount concerns of poverty, housing, healthcare, educational opportunity, employment, anti-discrimination legislation, and established welfare programs.

The following two chapters highlight the development of U.S. social policy since 1980, with emphasis on issues and policies since 2000. This penultimate chapter covers healthcare and housing policies, as well as the on-going debates over welfare and social security reforms. Social policies and issues in education and employment are discussed in the next chapter.

This chapter presents a look at federal welfare programs that combat poverty and offer relief in times of natural disaster, providing the necessities of food, shelter, and healthcare. "Momma Welfare Role" and "'They Think You Ain't Much of Nothing'" look at public perceptions of welfare recipients in the United States. Some issues in social policy presented here stem from the challenges of meeting the needs of an aging population; recent reform proposals for Medicare and Social Security remain controversial.

Two articles—one on the the 2006 South Dakota abortion ban and another on marriage incentives in welfare programs—illustrate recent and divisive trends at the crossroads of religion, morality, politics, and social policy.

Finally, this chapter briefly discusses child welfare systems such as foster care and social services. These social policies and specific programs often vary by state, but may receive substantial federal guidance and funding. A large portion of long-standing child welfare programs, such as after-school care and subsidized meals, are carried out through the public school system.